Of Revenge and Regret
by PhantomBella
Summary: Of Life and Irony...Title changed. Hinata's life is shattered when her entire family is killed by the Akatsuki. What will Hinata choose when she is given a chance at revenge?
1. Dancing Through Tears

**A/N:** All right! This is my first multi-chapter fiction! My oneshot _Determination_ can serve as a sort of prologue to this one, but since I've decided to make this fiction SasuHina centric, reading the other story isn't essential. However, I recommend it whole-heartedly 3 . Thank you to all who reviewed this story in its original form, _Of Life and Irony_, but my old plot just wasn't working out. So, with a heck of a lot of advice from Taixonay, (thank you dearie!) I created a new plot _and_ got a oneshot out of it. By the way, I think all of you out there should check out _Frenzy_ by my friend Taixonay. Extremely well-written Sand Sibling fun!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or any of the characters or themes in it. I just have this story!

Tears fell from her porcelain face. She mechanically brushed a lock of hair away from her face as she stared blankly at the wall. Hinata didn't plan to go outside at all today.

It had been four years ago today that her entire family was killed. She remembered it vividly; after seeing Gaara's name written of her wall in the sand, she decided to go out for a walk in the forest because she couldn't sleep. When she got home, her house was in ruins and no one was to be found. She would never forgive herself for not being taken with them.

'At least they didn't take Neji too...' Hinata though wordlessly. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror on the wardrobe to her right. Those milky white eyes of hers reminded her of her father's eyes. They were so similar, and yet nothing alike. Her eyes didn't hold the same same cold disapproval his had. But they now held the strength and knowledge.

'I have changed.' Hinata mused as she examined herself. The tears slowly began to dry; sticking to her pale, flawless skin which now stretched tightly over her cheekbones. The kunoichi had lost most of her childlike appearance; despite her height, no one would have questioned her age of seventeen. She rose from her bed slowly. 'In the past I would have been a wreck, but now I can stand up and face it. Alone or not.' The Hyuuga decided against the original plan of staying home all day.

'That wouldn't help anything. Besides, Tsunade-sama may need my help today. The least I can do is go outside.' With that, Hinata jumped from her window and leapt up onto the roof with the agility of a cat.

Racing across Konoha, Hinata felt alive again. The wind rushed at her face as she loped from housetop to housetop. Within moments she was atop the Hokage monument overlooking Konoha.

"No one can take this away from me." Hinata muttered as she looked out at her home. The sun was nearing its peak in the sky. Its bright light animated the streets below the kunoichi.

"It is all we have left." A clear, deep voice sounded from behind Hinata. She didn't even have to turn to know who it was.

"Neji." Hinata acknowledged her cousin. They sat together upon the monument, enjoying the slight breeze tousling their dark hair.

"It's kind of funny really. Did it really take something like that to bring us together?" Neji chuckled halfheartedly. He smiled a lukewarm smile to his cousin, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Sometimes it takes something like a splash of ice water to wake someone up." Hinata returned his gaze with a half-smile. It was hard to speak for both of them. Their usually animated voices sounded dead and empty to each other, but neither would say anything about it. It was too painfully obvious.

"I think...I'm going to try and visit Tenten today." Neji's eyes lit up as he spoke of seeing his friend. Hinata's mouth curled upward in a mutual smile as she hugged her cousin and bid him farewell. Before another thought slid through her mind, he was gone. Deciding to follow Neji's example of becoming human again, Hinata resolved to stop by the ramen shop to see if anyone was there. She pinpointed its location from her perch, and leapt.

Flying. Hinata felt weightless as the air rushed past her. She twirled and flipped until it was time to focus chakra into her feet to soften the landing. She landed like a cat on her feet, much to the amazement of several Genin who had observed her descent. The Hyuuga looked up and smiled at them as she began running to the ramen shop.

'It's so nice to move around. I feel...free.' Hinata thought as the little shop came into view. She noticed her favorite blond ninja dragging a slightly perturbed Sasuke into the small building. The Hyuuga walked in after them; looking at the ground with a crimson face. She was a little nervous about barging in on "Uzumaki and Uchiha time." The last time she had...well, let's just say things got a little _interesting. _

Hinata stood next to Sasuke, who was more likely to notice her while Naruto drooled over the menu. He looked to his left and nodded silently to acknowledge her, a slight smile gracing his lips for a moment. A fleeting moment.

"Hinata," Sasuke's velvety voice began, "Why are you here?" Hinata noticed a slight inflection on her name, but as the raven-haired shinobi finished his thought it became his usual bluntly monotonous tone once more. She pushed the note to the back of her mind. It was insignificant.

"Because...because I don't want to stay inside all day once a year anymore. It wasn't doing me or anyone else around me any good." Hinata spoke softly and deliberately, never looking up from the table. Things were going fine so far. "And maybe if I can distract myself it won't hurt quite so much."

Sasuke nodded and turned back to Naruto, who had thoughtfully ordered a third bowl of ramen (that wasn't for himself.) He grinned over at Hinata and greeted her loudly, causing her to blush and continue to stare at the table.

'Okay, so you aren't the same nervous stuttering wreck you once were. Now you just have to make yourself as confident in the company of others as you are when you train,' Hinata thought to herself. She was surprised by her comment. Thoughts like that weren't all that usual for her. Disregarding the notion, Hinata smiled over at her two companions and began to make quiet conversation with them. It mostly consisted of Naruto bragging and Sasuke nodding and "Hn"-ing, but she enjoyed it anyway. She asked quiet questions of both ninjas, both of whom answered her quite readily. As readily as Sasuke could manage, anyway.

"I should be going. I'm going up to work with Tsunade-sama tomorrow, and I wouldn't want to be late because I slept in." Hinata noticed the sun setting as she spoke. Had they really been there for that long? Naruto and Sasuke bid her farewell, and she flew back to her apartment.

'I just love to move...maybe I should consider taking up dancing like Tenten suggested...' Hinata giggled softly as she imagined herself in a leotard and tights. 'Naw...'

She reached her apartment quickly, not even bothering to climb the stairs. The window was a much more convenient entrance for her. She balanced on a small ledge under her windows and opened them, leaping back into her bedroom gracefully. The Hyuuga changed into her pajamas slowly, and slipped under the soft blankets of her bed. She fell asleep soon after her head hit her pillow. For the first time in four years, she fell asleep on this night with a smile on her face.

A/N: Yay! As you can probably tell with this chapter, I like adjectives. A lot.

I know Hina seems a little OOC, but she had to grow up some time right? She hasn't become cold and heartless by any means. She might be a little depressed on this day, but she's finally decided to wake up and be strong about it. Hope you liked it!


	2. Moonlight

Sasuke was brooding in his room, a habit he had taken up since he had avenged his clan. The full moon and stars shone through his window, drowning his apartment bedroom in a pale, ghostly light. His obsidian eyes slid lazily around the room, taking in every minute detail. The grey walls, the brown furniture, the open space...everything seemed devoid of life.

He glanced over at the clock. 12:00AM it read.

Sasuke slowly rose from his bed and opened the window, allowing the cool breeze to play with his raven hair. His face remained expressionless as he leapt gracefully down to the deserted street below. The pale shinobi was but a shadow as he stalked through the town. Sasuke shook his head as a montage of thoughts troubled his mind. He took off running down a street to distract himself.

The shinobi's legs pumped as quickly as he could push them. His sprint became almost clumsy; unbelievebly quick but silent and controlled. Sasuke finally slowed, and wandered the streets aimlessly. He found himself deeper in Konoha, surrounded by grey walls and sleeping houses. Besides the occasional scoundrel, the streets and alleys were deserted. Sasuke traced each street, each narrow pathway he could find. Anything to distract himself from the emptiness, the pain of knowing he was the last one left.

After wandering around for about a half an hour, Sasuke found himself weaving through the market district. The few shopkeepers that kept their stores open so late in a last ditch effort to make some cash were closing up shop; sweeping floors and putting out lanterns. Sasuke watched until the last dancing flame was doused, and then fled back into the night.

He flew from rooftop to rooftop, just wanting to escape the dead village. The last thing Sasuke needed was a bleak scene to put him into one of his moods. After breaking out of the densely packed buildings, Sasuke headed for the lake. There he could collect his thoughts without distraction.

Finally stopping, Sasuke exhaled a breath he didn't even realize he had been holding.

The moon was higher in the sky now. It reflected off of the lake, shimmering before the shinobi's eyes. It danced for him on the mellow wake, glowing with lively brilliance. Sasuke sat on the shore and watched the water lap gently against the sand.

'It's so...nice here.' Sasuke mentally noted. He allowed a small smile to grace his features as he took in the sights. The serene beauty of the night reminded Sasuke of the love he once knew, the love his brother had taken away. 'Even now that it's all over, I still feel the pain. Was all of my malice wasted? My efforts useless?' The Uchiha basked in his own angst for a moment, but caught himself quickly, and scolded himself inwardly.

"The moon is pretty tonight," a small voice interrupted Sasuke's inner monologue. Hinata sat beside the shinobi without looking at him. Her gaze was trained on the picturesque landscape before them. Sasuke didn't say a word.

"You miss them, don't you?" Hinata asked. Sasuke was certain the question wasn't directed entirely at him.

"They were my family, of course I miss them," Sasuke said dispassionately. Hinata still wouldn't look at him. She allowed the comfortable silence to settle between them, but Sasuke somehow felt uneasy. "Although, I'm comforted by the knowledge that _he_ is dead," Sasuke paused for a moment. He looked over at Hinata, crystal tears streaming down her face. He frowned; something about that picture seemed wrong. The small Hyuuga heir was usually smiling and laughing. He liked it better when she smiled.

"I became stronger, just like my father wanted me to. I'm very young for a Jounin, so why do I feel empty? I'm everything he wanted me to be." Hinata still refused to look at Sasuke, frustrating him slightly.

"Was it everything _you_ wanted to be?" Sasuke asked. His voice was harsh, reprimanding almost.

"Yes. I've always wanted to be stronger, to help others. I just wanted my father to see me and be proud too." Hinata looked up at the sky and smiled genuinely through her crystalline tears. "I hope you can see me from the stars, father."

Hinata turned to look at Sasuke for a moment before standing up and beginning to walk away. She glanced back for a fleeting moment.

"Thank you, Sasuke-san." Without another word, Hinata turned on her heels and walked away.

Hinata woke early the next morning. It had only been a day since the anniversary of the fall of the Hyuuga clan, and its lone heir couldn't be happier. She made her bed quietly, smoothing out all of the wrinkles before she was finally satisfied.

'I slept remarkably well last night. That's unusual,' Hinata mused. The young Hyuuga wore a pleasant look on her face as she got dressed. She hadn't gotten as much sleep the night before as she would've liked to, but she somehow felt rested and comforable. Today would be an eventful day, for Hinata was scheduled to meet with the Hokage to get the briefing for her next mission. She needed all the energy she could get.

The kunoichi was anxious to see who would be on her team, but she still stopped to prepare some fruit for breakfast before leaving her home. The morning was still fairly young, but Tsunade was bound to be awake by now.

Hinata decided to take a leisurely walk to the Hokage's building. She bowed her head in respect to everyone she met on the streets. It wasn't a difficult feat, since there weren't many people out and about yet. Today was a lazy day in Konoha.

The kunoichi arrived at her destination within ten minutes and waited only a moment before being called into Tsunade's office.

"Konnichi wa Hokage-sama." Hinata smiled as she greeted Tsunade with a slight bow. The blonde woman waved her hand flippantly and smirked.

"How many times have I asked you to call me Tsunade?" Hinata smiled. It was difficult for someone who had been raised in a clan such as the Hyuuga to ignore social status when greeting a superior. Still, if Tsunade insisted...

"All right Tsunade. What's the mission?" Hinata's voice shook with unbridled excitement; she felt comfortable letting herself go around Tsunade. The older kunoichi laughed briefly, but became business-like once more after the quick outburst.

"I think some verbal interaction between some representatives from Konoha and the Kazekage is in order. A way to improve our relationship with Suna, if you will. So, I've decided to send two of our best shinobi." Tsunade said. She smiled as Hinata gazed at her imploringly, and went to answer her unasked question.

"You and Uchiha Sasuke will travel to Suna together, and stay there for a while as temporary ambassadors. Meet him at the main gate in one hour, and leave immediately." Tsunade dimissed Hinata with a wave of her hand, and the young kunoichi bowed her head and left the building silently. There were more people out in the streets by now, so Hinata decided to take the more direct route. She flew across the rooftops, and entered her home through the unlocked window as she had the night before.

Wasting no time at all, Hinata packed all of the clothes and supplies she'd need to get through two weeks. She rummaged through the cupboards in the kitchen and found several packages of dried fruit and meat, which she placed in a separate compartment in her bag. She didn't know how often Sasuke would want to stop on the journey there, or how edible the food in Suna was. Satisfied with the weight of her bag, Hinata decided to leave immediately. Hinata jumped out of her window once more, but now she took time to make sure everything was all locked up.

'A mission with Uchiha-san, ne?' Hinata smiled to herself as she made her way to the gate. She was far ahead of schedule, but there was no harm in being early. 'This could be fun!'

**A/N:** I know, I know. Things are going rather slowly, and it almost sounds as if I've entirely forgotten about the Hyuuga clan. Trust me, I haven't! I will get the next chapter out as soon as I can, and I promise there will be more plot revelations and character interaction. Thank you to all who have reviewed my story!


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